Pasadena, Calif. -- Courtroom Television Network has green-lighted its first
original movie, The Amy Pofahl Story, which grew out of a documentary the
channel did on the subject last year, officials said Tuesday.
At the Television Critics Association press tour here, Court TV chairman
Henry Schleiff said the network aims to do two to three original movies based on
true stories per year, budgeted at $3 million to $5 million each.
The telepics will each have critical social issues at their core, with the
goal of getting viewers not only informed about, but perhaps involved in, those
issues, according to Schleiff.
The Amy Pofahl Story, slated to air in the third quarter, explores the
injustice inherent in current mandatory minimum-sentencing statutes, which take
away all discretion from judges and make long prison sentences mandatory.
Pofahl was tried, convicted and -- with federal mandatory minimums -- in
effect sentenced to 24 years in prison without any chance of parole. President
Clinton recently granted her request for a federal pardon.
Court TV has other original movies in development, including one with
writer-producer Tom Fontana of Homicide: Life on the Street fame.
At the TCA, Court TV also announced that Catherine Crier will host a new talk
show, Catherine Crier Live, which will react to top legal news of the
day. It will air Monday through Thursday at 5 p.m. starting Feb. 12.
And the network is debuting a new half-hour weekly series, Hollywood at
Large, which will look at crime and justice in today's pop culture. It will
air Fridays at 5 p.m. starting Feb. 16.
